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Were you recently injured in a bus accident? Do you believe another party was responsible? At Berger and Green, our team gets bus accidents. We can fight by your side for fair compensation, whether your accident was caused by an individual, municipality, or company. A personal injury attorney from Berger and Green can evaluate your case for free. Call now to work with an Erie bus accident lawyer.
If you’ve recently been in a bus accident, you likely have a lot on your plate. Not only are you dealing with recovery from your injuries, but you may be dealing with financial insecurity as a result of the accident. Trying to file a claim or lawsuit while you’re dealing with all of that would be a lot of added stress.
You may also be struggling to understand your case and the legal process. At Berger and Green, we have over 40 years of legal experience. We can apply this knowledge to your case and provide you with peace of mind. Here’s how we can help bus accident clients:
As your legal team, our Erie bus accident attorneys have two primary goals: to keep you informed and up-to-date on your case and to secure fair compensation on your behalf. While you heal, we’ll get to work. From negotiating with insurers to filing lawsuits, we’re ready to use our resources to help your case.
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), the average cost of a car accident involving injuries is roughly $30,000. After an accident, some of your expenses may be covered by an insurer. However, you may still have some costs you can’t cover, like large medical bills.
At Berger and Green, we know that you might be under serious financial pressure. To ensure that we can provide our services to those in need, we work on a contingency-fee basis. This means we require no upfront fees and only get paid if we win. Hiring a bus accident lawyer from our Erie team is risk-free.
After a bus accident, there are two primary types of damages, economic, and non-economic.
Economic damages deal purely with out-of-pocket expenses, including:
Non-economic damages are less straightforward. They reimburse you for the emotional toll of your accident, like pain and suffering or a reduced quality of life. Our Erie bus accident attorneys will talk with you to understand how your accident has affected your life–this way, we can fight for the compensation you deserve for your suffering.
Erie is subject to state-wide automobile insurance laws. The required types of car insurance, according to the Pennsylvania Insurance Department are:
However, to make matters more complicated, Pennsylvania offers drivers the choice between limited tort insurance and full tort insurance. The type of tort insurance you carry impacts the types of damages you can pursue from other parties after an accident:
There are caveats to this rule. For example, if your injuries pass the “serious injuries” threshold or the driver that caused the accident has an out-of-state license plate, you can pursue both economic and non-economic damages, regardless of the type of insurance you carry.
If you’re confused about the types of damages you can pursue, don’t fret. Our team is intimately familiar with bus accident law. Our Erie bus accident attorneys can explain which damages you qualify for and advise you on a fair settlement offer. In determining which damages you qualify for, we can review:
Bus accidents can be caused by several parties, including:
In your accident, any of these parties could be responsible. Another party not noted here may also have contributed to your accident.
Our Erie attorneys can undergo a thorough investigation of your accident. Once we’ve identified the responsible party, we can pursue compensation. To receive compensation, you must prove that someone else caused your accident – we’re here to help you make that happen.
Bus accidents often involve municipal employees. Under legal doctrine, employers can be held liable for the actions of their employees.
However, for an employer to be liable, you must prove that the relevant employee was operating within their “scope of employment” prior to the accident. The “scope of employment” is less complicated than it sounds, applying when:
So, if the bus driver who caused your accident was on the clock, it’s likely that their employer is liable. If the bus driver’s employer is liable for your injuries, we will build a case against them and pursue the company or municipality for your compensation.
In standard personal injury cases, Erie residents have two years to file a lawsuit, per Pa. C.S.A. § 5524. This deadline applies if you’re filing a lawsuit against an individual driver or private bus company.
However, if you believe your accident was caused by a municipal group, like the EMTA, you have to notify them of your claim within 6 months of the accident or risk losing your right to file a lawsuit. This deadline is considerably shorter than Pennsylvania’s standard statute of limitations. For this reason, we advise you to get started on your bus accident case as soon as possible.
Don’t waste time stressing over your bus accident case–call our offices today. We can provide you with a free case evaluation. During this initial meeting, you can discuss your hopes and concerns with an Erie bus accident lawyer. Let us put your worries at ease.